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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. swing — to play on
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. race — the arms race
  6. race — humankind
  7. squash — to crush
  8. current — electric
  9. land — a country
  10. rush — hurry
  11. land — ground
  12. swing — in golf
  13. squash — the sport
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. swing — music
  16. current — of water
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. bear — the animal
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. current — happening now
  22. bear — the animal
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. land — to come down

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com